What is love poetry? I guess I have not thought about this in awhile – that is for sure. . . .I guess at its base level, love poetry is “an expression”. It is an expression of “love”, from one person to another, in a form that we call poetry. Does it have to be in sonnet form – no. Does it have to be in any form – not really – especially when one is entertaining modern day poetry. Thus, it is an expression of love in a poetic form. . . Finally, one can ask what is “love” and that is a subjective matter and better left not universalized - though apparently we all know when we feel it, we all know what we have learned from it and we all know that it changes. But what is this it – is subjective to everyone.
EBB’s Sonnets from the Portuguese could be considered “love poetry”, since it is an expression of love from one person to another, in a form we call poetry. Is it love poetry that other people would recognize as love poetry? Sure, certain aspects of it are. However, for a love poem, it is fairly long and second, it is not always talking about love. We have reference to the absence of love, to God and even death. This shows the subjective nature of the topic. We all think and refer to it in our own “terms”.
In Sonnets from the Portuguese, we go through the “craziness” that is love, the story that is love, the ups and downs that make up a relationship and the eternity some of use want to feel in it. The Sonnets are definitely not “romanticized love” as we see the author’s insecurities or her questioning the process itself at various parts. Love thus is not presented just in a positive light, a one sided issue – and I found this refreshing.
Some of my favorite Sonnets are, but definitely are not limited to, Sonnet 40, Sonnet 41 and Sonnet 43. In Sonnet 40 “Will turn the thing called love, aside to hate, Or else to oblivion. But thou art not such A lover, my Beloved!” Sonnet 41, “Instruct me how to thank thee! – Oh, to shoot My soul’s full meaning into future years, That they should lend it utterance, and salute Love that endures, from Life that disappears!” Lastly, from Sonnet 43 – THE ENTIRE THING. Absolutely profound and powerful stuff – and I love the loving after death imagery.
This type of poetry is not for everyone and people can bring about questions, such as “motives” of the author, healthy or unhealthy love and if she “transfers too much power” from herself to her beloved. . . All great questions but frankly, I do not care to answer these questions, as a readers personal background will definitely taint the way they look at the poem and it is hard to determines one persons emotional expression of a topic that we all struggle with to under stand. . . and in that, she has created a provocative piece of art.
EBB’s Sonnets from the Portuguese could be considered “love poetry”, since it is an expression of love from one person to another, in a form we call poetry. Is it love poetry that other people would recognize as love poetry? Sure, certain aspects of it are. However, for a love poem, it is fairly long and second, it is not always talking about love. We have reference to the absence of love, to God and even death. This shows the subjective nature of the topic. We all think and refer to it in our own “terms”.
In Sonnets from the Portuguese, we go through the “craziness” that is love, the story that is love, the ups and downs that make up a relationship and the eternity some of use want to feel in it. The Sonnets are definitely not “romanticized love” as we see the author’s insecurities or her questioning the process itself at various parts. Love thus is not presented just in a positive light, a one sided issue – and I found this refreshing.
Some of my favorite Sonnets are, but definitely are not limited to, Sonnet 40, Sonnet 41 and Sonnet 43. In Sonnet 40 “Will turn the thing called love, aside to hate, Or else to oblivion. But thou art not such A lover, my Beloved!” Sonnet 41, “Instruct me how to thank thee! – Oh, to shoot My soul’s full meaning into future years, That they should lend it utterance, and salute Love that endures, from Life that disappears!” Lastly, from Sonnet 43 – THE ENTIRE THING. Absolutely profound and powerful stuff – and I love the loving after death imagery.
This type of poetry is not for everyone and people can bring about questions, such as “motives” of the author, healthy or unhealthy love and if she “transfers too much power” from herself to her beloved. . . All great questions but frankly, I do not care to answer these questions, as a readers personal background will definitely taint the way they look at the poem and it is hard to determines one persons emotional expression of a topic that we all struggle with to under stand. . . and in that, she has created a provocative piece of art.